Chart of the Day: We’re Still in a Recession

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Via Felix Salmon, here’s a chart put together by economists Gordon Green and John Coder, based on data from the monthly Current Population Survey. It’s an index of self-reported income over the past 12 months and it’s bad, bad, bad. As you can see, median incomes plummeted during the recession, and as you can also see, incomes continued to plummet during our so-called recovery. Reported income is now down 10% from 2008 levels. More here from the New York Times, including this pithy comment from Princeton economist Henry Farber: “As a labor economist, I do not think the recession has ended.”

Indeed not, though perhaps economists who don’t care about labor will disagree. In any case, here’s your economics lesson for the day: debt implosion —> reduced spending —> layoffs and wage cuts —> plummeting incomes —> even less spending, more layoffs and wage cuts, and ever lower incomes —> Zuccotti Park. Republicans and centrist Democrats, please take note.

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PLEASE—BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things it doesn’t like—which is most things that are true.

We’ll say it loud and clear: At Mother Jones, no one gets to tell us what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please do your part and help us reach our $150,000 membership goal by May 31.

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